Corner infielder Coby Mayo is heading to Baltimore today, which could lead to another promotion to the majors or placement on the 24-hour taxi squad.
Ramón Urías was scratched from last night’s lineup with a sore hamstring. Manager Brandon Hyde said after a 3-0 win over the Royals that the Orioles weren’t sure about Urías status moving forward.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Hyde said.
Urías would be the 14th player to go on the injured list. His playing time increased with Jordan Westburg sidelined by a hamstring strain, and he’s batting .292/.354/.403 with two doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in 22 games.
Among fWAR leaders, Urías ranks third on the team at 0.5.
Urias has made 20 starts at third base. Emmanuel Rivera replaced him last night and had run-scoring single in the seventh inning.
Mayo is batting .255/.353/.539 with seven doubles, two triples, six home runs and 21 RBIs in 27 games with Triple-A Norfolk. He got into 17 games with the Orioles last summer and went 4-for-41 with four walks and 22 strikeouts.
MLB Pipeline ranks Mayo as the No. 12 prospect in baseball.
Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias was asked about Mayo yesterday, prior to Urías coming out of the lineup.
“I think he’s really close," Elias said. "I’m really happy with where he is. It seems like he’s in a good spot, the production that we’re seeing out of him, the quality of his at-bats, the work that he’s putting in. He’s going to be a big part of this team.
"I think it’s really important for us as we look at the timing of when that next major league opportunity is going to be, that it’s kind of the right opportunity for him if we’re able to control that. Sometimes, injuries force your hand like they did last year and we can’t control the timing. But we really want Coby to have the right pathway, and he’s certainly putting himself in a really good position for that.”
The latest injury might be forcing the Orioles’ hand.
Meanwhile, the Orioles have won three of their last four games to improve their record to 13-18, and they continue their series against the Royals tonight with their best starter, Tomoyuki Sugano, on the mound.
Sugano has a 3.00 ERA in six starts. He struck out a career-high eight batters in five innings in his last outing.
Sugano started against the Royals on April 5 in Kansas City and allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a home run.
Witt’s 22-game hitting streak ended last night.
The day began with the Orioles in last place in the division but only a half-game behind the Rays and 5 ½ out of first.
“I think it's give or take every night. It's a different battle every night,” Ryan O’Hearn said last night after his two-run homer in the seventh broke a scoreless tie.
“Sometimes, the starter goes out there and gives you six shutties. Sometimes, he's battling and the offense needs to pick him up. So, I think our offense, yeah, we're missing a few guys right now but it's still a very potent offense and great hitters up and down. So I feel like we're never out of it and I feel like we can come back. We can tack on runs after a small lead. When it's 0-0 in the sixth like (last night), we have a great chance to win the game.”
O’Hearn’s six home runs through his first 23 games of the season are his most since 2018 with the Royals (seven).
The Orioles improved last night to 2-16 when scoring three runs or fewer.
The Royals are starting left-hander Kris Bubic, who faced the Orioles on April 6 and allowed an unearned run with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Three of his six starts this season have ended with no earned runs. He has a 2.25 ERA and has surrendered only two home runs.
Bubic has reverse splits, with left-handers batting .296 with an .885 OPS in his career and right-handers batting .260 with a .744 OPS.
Bubic has made four career appearances against the Orioles and posted a 2.82 ERA in 22 1/3 innings. Cedric Mullins is 4-for-9 with three doubles and a home run against him. Ryan Mountcastle is 3-for-10.
Tonight’s game airs exclusively on FOX.
The Orioles have transferred the rehab assignment of right-hander Chayce McDermott (right lat) to Triple-A Norfolk and he’s starting this afternoon.